Senior Care in Lisle, IL: March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Recommended screening is a highly necessary part of preventative care. Colorectal cancer is an issue that all seniors generally should be screened for. March is committed to making men and women mindful of this condition. It is the 2nd major cause of deaths caused by cancers that have an effect on both genders, and 90% of folks diagnosed with colon cancer were over 50. It is proposed that screening starts at age 50and progresses right up until age 75. There are several tests that should be carried out routinely to check for colon cancer.

A colonoscopy needs to be completed one time every ten years. During this assessment, the large and small bowels are observed with a little camera. This is done to see and remove any polyps and is crucial to early cancer diagnosis. The first colonoscopy should be completed at age fifty.

While a colonoscopy makes it possible for the evaluation of the entire four to five feet of the colon, a flexible sigmoidoscopy allows the sigmoid colon or the final two feet to be seen. A colonoscopy is a preferred assessment over a sigmoidoscopy; however, a sigmoidoscopy is shorter. A sigmoidoscopy should be given every five years.

A fecal occult blood test is a process of colorectal cancer screening that should be performed each year. This calls for a stool sample being forwarded off to a lab for testing. Chemicals are used to identify blood that cannot be seen. If blood is discovered in the stool, further testing is necessary. A patient may be referred for a colonoscopy.

A double contrast barium enema may be used every five years for added testing. This is a procedure in which an X-ray of the colon is taken. The barium used in this check highlights the large intestine. It is at the same time delivered to expand the colon, allowing for clearer images. The barium will pass out of the body with stools.

Everybody between the ages of fifty and seventy-five should have regular testing for colorectal cancer. Testing should be established sooner with family history of colorectal cancer or with a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. Tests are also recommended in some seniors who are over the age of seventy-five. Talk to your primary care physician about colorectal cancer screening today.